How NASA Achieved the Historic Artemis II Splashdown

TIME
by Jeffrey Kluger
April 11, 2026
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7 min read

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NASA's Artemis II mission successfully returned its four astronauts to Earth after a 10-day Moon orbit.

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NASA Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, successfully returned to Earth following a 10-day mission around the Moon. Their Orion spacecraft splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 10, concluding the first crewed mission to the moon in 54 years. The crew was extracted by recovery teams within two hours and taken to the USS John P. Murtha for post-mission medical evaluations. This mission utilized a modified heat shield with a more porous Avcoat formulation and a shallower reentry trajectory to address issues observed during the uncrewed Artemis I flight in 2022. The astronauts will next be flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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The astronauts will be flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after post-mission medical evaluations.

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Artemis II Mission Nears Completion with Pacific Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II mission is concluding its historic lunar journey with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The crew, after orbiting the moon, is preparing for re-entry, marking a significant milestone in the agency's lunar comeback.

Artemis II Mission Nears Completion with Pacific Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II mission is concluding its historic lunar journey with the Orion spacecraft preparing for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This event marks a critical step in NASA's program to re-establish human presence on the moon, with the crew returning after a successful mission.

Artemis II Mission Nears Earth Splashdown

The Artemis II crew is on its way back to Earth after a historic lunar mission, preparing for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California. The mission's conclusion marks a critical step in NASA's program to re-establish human presence on the moon. The return involves a fiery, 14-minute reentry, with recovery operations broadcast live.

Artemis II Mission Nears Earth Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II mission is concluding its historic journey, with the Orion spacecraft and its four astronauts preparing for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The crew's return marks a critical step in NASA's human exploration program, with preparations underway for the fiery reentry and recovery.

Artemis II Mission Nears Earth Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II crew is returning to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean, marking the conclusion of their historic moon mission. Preparations are underway for the fiery reentry and safe recovery of the four astronauts.

Artemis II Mission Concludes with Pacific Ocean Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II mission is successfully concluding with its crew returning to Earth via a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This marks a significant milestone in the mission's lunar flyby, with the public and scientists closely following the final stages.

Artemis II Mission Returns to Earth

The Artemis II crew is successfully returning to Earth after a historic lunar flyby mission. Preparations are underway for their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, marking the conclusion of a significant step in human space exploration.

Artemis II Mission Concludes with Successful Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully concluded with the Orion capsule and its four-person crew splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean. This historic lunar flyby marks a significant step in humanity's return to the Moon, providing valuable data for future deep space exploration.

Artemis II Lunar Mission Concludes with Successful Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II mission successfully concluded with its four astronauts returning to Earth via a Pacific Ocean splashdown. The mission, which orbited the Moon, marked a significant step in humanity's return to lunar exploration, providing valuable data and imagery.

Artemis II Mission Concludes with Successful Pacific Splashdown

The historic Artemis II mission successfully concluded with its Orion spacecraft and four astronauts splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. This marks a significant milestone for NASA's renewed efforts to return humans to the Moon, providing valuable data and momentum for future lunar endeavors.

Artemis II Mission Concludes Successfully

NASA's Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts, successfully concluded its historic journey around the Moon and returned to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This mission marks a significant step in humanity's return to lunar exploration and provides crucial data for future deep-space endeavors.

Artemis II Mission Concludes with Successful Lunar Return

The Artemis II mission successfully completed its historic journey around the Moon, with four astronauts splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean. This mission marked the first crewed test flight around the Moon in decades, paving the way for future lunar exploration.

Artemis II Astronauts Return to Earth After Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission successfully returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean after a historic journey around the Moon. This mission marks a significant step in humanity's return to lunar exploration and provides crucial data for future space endeavors.

Artemis II Astronauts Return to Earth After Historic Moon Mission

The Artemis II mission successfully concluded with its four astronauts splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean. This historic journey marked humanity's first crewed lunar flyby in decades, providing NASA with crucial momentum for future lunar exploration and the broader 'moon race'.

Artemis II Moon Mission Concludes with Successful Splashdown

The Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts on a historic lunar flyby, successfully concluded with a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This milestone marks a critical step in NASA's efforts to return humans to the Moon and beyond.

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